Live
- Flood risk in low-lying areas of Chennai as Chembarambakkam Lake’s water level rises
- Pushpa 2 Theatre Canteen Owner Bites Customer’s Ear in Gwalior
- RG Kar tragedy: Statement of forensic doctor who took pictures of victim’s body crucial for CBI
- Include Valmiki community in ST list, MP Ambica pleads
- Nara Lokesh Urges Rapid Investment Approvals to Boost Employment in MSME Sector
- Chandrababu Advocates Strict Measures for Social Welfare and Infrastructure Development in AP
- Show of brotherhood by Vijayan, Stalin at event to honour Dravidian icon
- District Collectors’ conference with CM begins
- Celebrations kick off in Saudi Arabia to welcome FIFA World Cup 2034
- Google Unveils Jules AI to Help Developers Fix Code Errors
State in the throes of water crisis
Agriculture borewells alone will become principal source to address the water crisis to large extent both in rural and urban areas in the State with fast depletion of surface water and drying up of reservoirs.
VANISHING ELIXIR OF LIFE
A report prepared by the State Panchayat Raj and Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Departments has shown that the availability of water in the main reservoirs under Krishna river – Jurala, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar came down drastically due to deficit rainfall. The water level in Srisailam is only 68 tmcft against the full reservoir level of 215.81 tmcft. Due to low inflows from Srisailam, the water levels in Sagar reservoir came down to 131 tmcft which can be described as dead storage level.
The officials said that with very little water in Krishna reservoirs, release of water for irrigation and drinking purpose has been stopped. It has caused distress in Khammam, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts. As Nizam Sagar water levels has also touched dead storage level as against full reservoir capacity of 17.80 tmcft, water supply in Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts has been stopped by the State Irrigation Department.
Similarly, water bodies like tanks and ponds have also dried up due to lack of inflows. The situation, according to officials, in Warangal, Khammam and Adilabad district is better as the districts received normal rainfall. Apart from it, the restoration of tanks under Mission Kakatiya has helped overcome drinking water problem.
The report made it very clear that groundwater levels recharged in agricultural lands in the districts during this monsoon season is the only water source to address drinking water problem. Senior officials of the Panchayat Raj Department told The Hans India that the increased groundwater levels in the agriculture fields can only boost the supply of potable water to people in the districts, except Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts.
The Panchayat Raj officials suggested to the government that the water from borewells can be bought from farmers to facilitate supply of drinking water to people in rural areas. A decision in this regard is yet to be taken. The officials can take a decision only after consultations with Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Panchayat Raj Minister K T Rama Rao. Water supply in majority of urban areas has been reduced to two days a week. Water by tankers are provided only for three days a week by local bodies.
By Patan Afzal Babu
